2026 set to tie 2024 as warmest year as COP31 opens in Antalya
· Climate · Turkey · United Kingdom
With three-quarters of the year gone, Carbon Brief's state-of-the-climate assessment finds it virtually certain that 2026 will be the warmest or second-warmest year on record, likely tying 2024. The finding lands just before delegates gather in the Turkish resort city of Antalya for the COP31 UN climate negotiations, held against a backdrop of war and other pressures. UK climate minister Katie White said COP31 must respond to the "really scary" latest science on global warming. Afghanistan's Taliban officials have been invited and will attend the summit as observers, their second attendance since returning to power in 2021, confirmed by Turkish and Kabul officials. Carbon Brief has also published an interactive on what different parties want from the talks.
Why it matters：The annual summit sets the pace of global climate policy, and opening it alongside record-warmth data sharpens pressure on governments to raise ambition.
Key points
- 2026 is virtually certain to rank first or second warmest on record.
- COP31 is being held in Antalya, Turkey, with war as a backdrop.
- The Taliban will attend as observers for the second time since 2021.
Sources (original reporting)
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